Waves Audio DiGiGrid Q User Guide
DigiGrid Q
DigiGrid Q
Table of Contents
Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................................................4
1. Getting Started ..................................................................................................................................................................................5
1.1 System Requirements ..............................................................................................................................................................5
1.2 Registration ..................................................................................................................................................................................5
1.3 Software Installation .................................................................................................................................................................5
1.4 Licenses .........................................................................................................................................................................................6
2. HARDWARE .........................................................................................................................................................................................7
2.1 Monitoring options ...................................................................................................................................................................8
3. Suggested Uses And Congurations .........................................................................................................................................9
3.1 One Computer with a DiGiGrid Q ........................................................................................................................................9
3.2 Adding More I/Os to Your System ...................................................................................................................................... 10
3.3 Adding a Server ........................................................................................................................................................................ 11
3.4 Multiple Computers with a Single DiGiGrid Q ............................................................................................................... 12
4. Software Setup And Controls ..................................................................................................................................................... 13
4.1 Device Firmware ....................................................................................................................................................................... 15
4.1.1 Resetting the Unit ......................................................................................................................................................... 16
4.2 Identifying a Device from the SoundGrid Studio Device Rack ................................................................................ 16
DigiGrid Q
5. Control Panel .................................................................................................................................................................................... 17
5.1 Clock Page .................................................................................................................................................................................. 18
6. Adding A Server .............................................................................................................................................................................. 20
6.1 Applications of an External Server ................................................................................................................................... 21
6.1.1 eMotion ST mixer .......................................................................................................................................................... 21
6.1.2 StudioRack ....................................................................................................................................................................... 22
7. Moving Audio In A Soundgrid Network ................................................................................................................................. 23
7.1 Using an I/O Device with a DAW ........................................................................................................................................ 24
7.2 Patching I/O to Driver and Driver to I/O ......................................................................................................................... 25
7.3 eMotion ST Mixer Patching .................................................................................................................................................. 32
7.4 Device-to-Device Patching ................................................................................................................................................... 33
8. Technical Specications ................................................................................................................................................................ 34
DigiGrid Q
INTRODUCTION
Thank you for choosing this DiGiGrid Desktop interface for SoundGrid systems. In order to get the most out of your product,
please take some time to read this manual. We also suggest that you become familiar with our support sites, www.digigrid.net and
www.waves.com/support, where you will nd an extensive answer base, the latest tech specs, detailed installation guides, software
updates, and current information about licensing and registration.
DiGiGrid Q Headphone Amplier
The Q headphone amplier is a high-end audio interface designed to drive headphones at high volume. It is fully controllable to
suit any audio application where precise monitoring is required—home recording projects, rehearsals, major studio sessions, and
audiophile headphone listening, and more.
Q features 1/4-inch and 3.5mm outputs, and it can accommodate all headphones up to 600 ohm. It has four input options to suit all
users: XLR, RCA, Ethernet/CAT5 (to connect to the SoundGrid Network), RCA, and Bluetooth.
Q is powered by a twist-lock 12V DC power supply (provided as standard). When a DiGiGrid S network switch is part of the
SoundGrid network, the Q interface does not need external power. It’s instead powered through Power over Ethernet (PoE). The
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DiGiGrid S also enables networking up to four DiGiGrid devices, separated by as much 75 meters.
With a simple Ethernet connection to your MAC or PC, running any DAW, you have a simple stand-alone, high-quality audio
interface. The Q interface can even be connected to multiple computers and DAW’s at the same time.
DiGiGrid S provides power over Ethernet for DiGiGrid D, M, Q interfaces.
This switch enables D, M, and Q interfaces to operate without external power sources. It features one upstream (non-PoE)
port, and four downstream PoE ports, which allows connection to four further DiGiGrid devices. The DiGiGrid S is the perfect
complement to your growing networked audio system, both now and in the future.
DigiGrid Q
1. GETTING STARTED
Aside from setting up your microphone preamps, there’s not much you need to know to begin working with your DiGiGrid Q.
1.1 System Requirements
• SoundGrid Studio runs on Mac and PC (consult the Waves website for current OS and DAW compatibility)
• Compatible native DAW (Logic, Cubase, Nuendo, Ableton, Pro Tools Native, and many more). A list of SoundGrid-compatible hosts
is available at the Waves websit.
• DiGiGrid Q / SoundGrid Studio software installed on the host computer
• Cat 5e or Cat 6 Ethernet cables
1.2 Registration
To download DiGiGrid Q software you will need to register your device at www.digigrid.net or www.waves.com.
You must know the serial number of your DiGiGrid Q in order to register it.
The serial number appears on a label on the back of the unit and on a sticker on the box.
Once you register you will receive two emails:
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1. A notication that you can now download the installer
2. Instructions about authorizing your license
1.3 Software Installation
After you register your new DiGiGrid Q, you can download Waves Central from the Downloads/Latest Version section of the Waves
website.
• Launch Waves Central.
• Click “Easy Install & Activate.” Any products that are not currently activated will appear on the list.
• Make sure that your DiGiGrid Q driver and SoundGrid Studio are checked, and then click on the “Install & Activate” button.
• Restart your computer.
DigiGrid Q
Since SoundGrid enables you to access an I/O device from any computer in the network, you will need to install the software on
each connected computer.
The DiGiGrid Q installer consists of:
• The DiGiGrid Q hardware driver.
• The SoundGrid ASIO/Core Audio driver, which serves as a bridge between the DAW and the SoundGrid network.
• The SoundGrid Studio Application, which manages all SoundGrid network resources and assigns devices to computers.
• StudioRack, a software plugin rack, or chainer, that hosts up to eight plugins and can move their processing from the DAW to an
external SoundGrid server. (External server not included.)
• eMotion ST, a software mixer that provides low-latency plugin processing and monitor mixing. Requires an external server.
1.4 Licenses
DiGiGrid Native I/O devices do not require a license to operate in a SoundGrid network. However, certain advanced features,
such as using StudioRack and eMotion ST for low-latency recording and monitoring, or ooading processing from the host CPU,
require a server and a SoundGrid license. This license is included with the purchase of DiGiGrid Q.
When you register your device, the relevant licenses are deposited in your Waves account. Use the Waves Central application to
activate your licenses and install them on your computer or on a USB ash drive.
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DigiGrid Q
2. HARDWARE
DiGiGrid Q Front Panel
Selected input indicators
Bluetooth Status LED: Flashes alternating
red and blue when not paired. Flashes
steady blue when paired.
DiGiGrid Q Rear
Headphone output level control
Click to cycle through inputs:
ANA = Analog
DIG = AES
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Headphone outputs: 1/4” and 3.5 mm,
1/4” overrides 3.5mm
NET = SoundGrid network
BT = Bluetooth
USB Programming Port: USB programming service port for tech
support. This is not a USB audio port.
Analogue Line Inputs
AES/EBU Inputs
Reset (on side)
DC In
SoundGrid Network
DigiGrid Q
2.1 Monitoring options
There are four dierent monitoring options that you can choose from with the DiGiGrid Q.
Press down on the headphone level control to cycle through these options:
ANA Analog - Unbalanced stereo analog input on phono RCA connectors.
DIG AES - Stereo AES/EBU input on XLR
NET SoundGrid network - Two-channel SoundGrid input from your SoundGrid Network.
This is dened in the SoundGrid Studio Patch page, which discussed later in this manual.
BT Bluetooth - Stereo input from smartphone, tablet, or computer, via Bluetooth.
The selected input source is indicated on the top panel, just in front of the Headphone Level control.
Please note that the inputs feed only the headphone amplier. They do not appear as inputs to the SoundGrid network.
A note regarding Bluetooth setup:
The DiGiGrid Q is identied in the Bluetooth setup with the name “DiGiGrid Q-XXXX,” where the XXXX is a unique identier.
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To set up Bluetooth, enable Bluetooth on your tablet / phone / computer, and view the available Bluetooth devices. When the
DiGiGrid Q device appears, select it and choose to pair. You will not have to enter a passcode. When the pairing process is complete,
the Bluetooth indicators on the top panel of the Q will ash blue only, which indicates successful pairing. The Bluetooth LEDs on the
top of the Q ash blue and red alternatively when the unit is unpaired.
Bluetooth Range: Bluetooth operates over a relatively short range. If you experience audio dropouts when using the Bluetooth,
move the Q closer to the transmitting device.
DigiGrid Q
3. SUGGESTED USES AND CONFIGURATIONS
There are many ways to use your DiGiGrid Q. There are certain factors to consider when incorporating a DiGiGrid Q into your studio:
your existing (or future) equipment, how you work, and what you need to accomplish. Project studios with one or two DAWs can
share I/O resources. Studios with several rooms and many DAWs can stream audio between rooms and quickly swap out devices. But
no matter how simple or complex your setup is, connecting a DiGiGrid Q involves only one cable: an Ethernet Cat 5e or Cat 6.
3.1 One Computer with a DiGiGrid Q
This is the most basic studio conguration. It includes a host computer with a native DAW and a single a DiGiGrid Q that connects
microphones, instruments, headphones, and monitors to the SoundGrid ASIO/Core Audio driver. This driver controls the network
and all its devices.
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DiGiGrid Q
Ethernet
Analog
Host Computer
DigiGrid Q
3.2 Adding More I/Os to Your System
Add a DiGiGrid D and you gain one more individual headphone output and four more inputs.
Connect the DiGiGrid D and DiGiGrid Q to the DiGiGrid S switch.
You can add up to eight SoundGrid I/O devices to a single host. Each of these can be accessed by any computer on the network.
Audio and clock pass through the same Ethernet cable. This means of distributing clock is called “Sync over Ethernet” (SoE)
and is used between all SoundGrid devices. If the DiGiGrid Q is the SoE master, then the entire network will be locked
to this external source.
DiGiGrid D
DiGiGrid Q
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DiGiGrid S
Ethernet
Analog
Host Computer
DigiGrid Q
3.3 Adding a Server
Adding a SoundGrid DSP server to a SoundGrid Studio system provides the processing power for the eMotion ST mixer and
the StudioRack plugin. This enables low-latency recording and monitoring, and increases the number of plugins you can use
simultaneously.
Some DiGiGrid and SoundGrid I/O devices are equipped with internal servers. Consider the server and I/O as separate devices in
the Devices Racks of the System Inventory page. The server is assigned in the Servers section, and the I/O is assigned in the Rack A:
Hardware I/O Devices section. All servers initially appear as “SGS.” Once assigned, a server can be renamed.
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SoundGrid Server
DiGiGrid S
DiGiGrid Q
Host Computer
Ethernet
Analog
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